Torres Shelter Helps Evacuees with Housing Stability

As the number of people staying at the Red Cross Camp Fire shelter continues to drop, the year-round Torres Shelter is helping evacuees move forward with housing and income stability.

Posted: Feb. 7, 2019 11:34 AM

Updated: Feb. 7, 2019 11:53 AM

Posted By: Christina Vitale, Stephanie Schmieding

BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - As the number of people staying at the Red Cross Camp Fire shelter continues to drop, the year-round Torres Shelter is helping evacuees move forward with housing and income stability.

The shelter is now open 24 hours per day thanks to a donation from Walmart.

After the Camp Fire, Walmart donated $1 million to help local shelters expand their services. When the Red Cross Shelter at the fairgrounds was closing, the Torres Shelter began preparing for a large intake of evacuees.

Joy Amora, executive director of the Torres Shelter, said they currently have 130 people at the shelter.

Amora said they're hoping to house as many people as they can, especially during the cold weather. However, there is still a lot of planning in the works.

Amora said they rely on the Chico Police Department to locate and bring people in need of housing to the shelter, but they're hoping to add more resources.

The local shelters and the city are continuing to work together to get people off the streets and out of the cold.